JOHN Brain was delighted with Worcester Warriors' young guns despite seeing his side sliding to a 37-23 defeat against Bath United at Sixways last night.

The head coach looked on as Worcester's second string lost out to a well-drilled Bath outfit but was happy with the performances of under 21 starlets Dan Cullen and Jon Higgins.

"They both went well," he said. "We picked experienced forwards and at the end we had a back-line almost totally made up of academy players.

"Dan takes the game to the opposition as a fly-half and always poses a threat. He managed the game well last night and it was a good exercise for him and Higgins who played at full-back.

"If we ever have a problem with Craig Chalmers or Tony Yapp then those two will be battling it out for the number 10 jersey."

Centre Scott Barrow played his first game since injuring a foot against Sale in pre-season, but pulled up with a hamstring strain and is now a doubt for Saturday's trip to Henley Hawks.

Hooker Andrew Lamerton also returned in the match and bagged two tries, while lock Lee Soper crossed the Bath line to add to a Higgins penalty.

Academy winger Chris Moule also scored a fine try after good work from scrum-half Tom Richardson.